South Sudan’s Leadership Crisis: Lessons from Haiti

When you see me and other like-minded South Sudanese constantly complaining about the lack of leadership in South Sudan, we are not just criticizing for the sake of it or undermining the authorities. We are genuinely concerned about the future of South Sudan, including your future and that of your children and grandchildren.

History shows that merely achieving independence from colonial powers does not guarantee a country’s viability. Countries that gained independence but fell under kleptocratic regimes remain in chaos, and some even lost their independence. Without visionary leadership, true independence is impossible. Countries run by corrupt leaders are no different from jungles ruled by lions, hyenas, wolves, jackals, and wild dogs. In such places, there is no rule of law; the strongest make the rules to benefit themselves. Similarly, in countries ruled by kleptocrats, the rule of law does not exist, and the powerful act with impunity.

For those unaware, South Sudan is heading in the same direction as Haiti. We are losing our independence faster than Haiti did. The current events are symptoms of this loss. For those who don’t read history, Haiti gained independence from France on January 1, 1804. However, the country is almost nonexistent now because cartels have overrun public institutions. They killed the president a few years back and dismantled the army and police. This is why Kenya sent police forces to restore the rule of law and revive public institutions, a task proving difficult.

Haiti existed long before what we now call Kenya. In 1895, the British established the British East Africa Protectorate in East Africa. Before that, there was no government in what is now Kenya. Haiti had been independent for 91 years when the British introduced colonial administration in present-day Kenya. Kenya gained independence from Britain in 1963, 159 years after Haiti’s independence. If gaining independence alone made countries successful, Haiti should have been 159 times more successful than Kenya.

The real issue is poor leadership. When thieves take power, their first objective is to dismantle public institutions like the army, police, judiciary, and parliament. Once these institutions are dismembered, kleptocrats rule with impunity. They can kill at will, imprison dissenting voices, and normalize corruption. The worst part is that these thieves always think about protecting their loot. This mentality perpetuates kleptocracy and results in a cycle of bad leadership. When thieves groom their successors to take over, it often leads to even worse conditions.

The future of South Sudan under President Salva Kiir and his succession plan resembles that of Haiti. With the SSPDF, police, judiciary, parliament, and other public institutions dismembered, South Sudan will disintegrate into microstates ruled by tribal warlords. Ugandan authorities will not protect South Sudan’s independence because it is not part of Uganda.

The views on this article are the sole responsibility of the writer, Dr. Gai Chol Paul